Gerard Houllier 'I Like Liverpool' Gaff?

Sorry, I`ve tried - I`m trying - to have faith and see the positives of Gerard Houllier and although we have become shambolic on the pitch, I am trying to point out that the players are the ones on the pitch, our back four are meant to be international defenders for instance, so how come they are playing like pub players right now? It can`t all be placed at the door of the manager - any manager - but obviously, at some point there has to be a change in results, as that is what this game is all about. Something is very very far from being right at the moment and some are saying 'I told you so` in the Villa forums.

The appointment wasn`t exactly universally accepted and it didn`t bring about much excitement, but for me giving the timing of the walk of the last manager - a spiteful and vindictive and club shafting timing by the way - I did work at talking myself around from a shrug to 'excitement` at some of the positive things being said about Houllier.

Things like this however, will not help his cause one bit, the away fans were even taking the St Michael of their own team last night as reported on the BBC site: Villa's fans did themselves far more credit than their players - although the heavy sarcasm and gallows humour aimed at their team will have hurt Houllier as he tries to win over those still sceptical about his appointment.

Anyway, the main point of this is Houllier`s comments on the Liverpool official site 'It's difficult to say but I prefer to lose 3-0 to Liverpool because I like Liverpool."

We don`t Gerard, we don`t like losing full stop and certainly not against Liverpool. What you think in private is fine and dandy, but to say that after our away faithful travelled up in the freezing conditions? No, that is insulting.

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Your Comments (oldest first)

This is a transition season for you and playing your youngsters now where MON wouldnt will in the long term be a great thing for Villa. However the thing i find puzzling last night about Villa is the fact that you seem to be playing every single youngster possible except your best one - Delfouneso

I also persisted in trying to convince my other half that GH will do the job but I have got to say I felt sick when he kept loving up Liverpool.
Our players must have also wondered what to make of him touching "the badge" and " I prefer to lose 3-0 to Liverpool
because I like them "
I'm sick to the back teeth of him and players telling us what they must do and not turning up. Enough talk lets see some action !

Trekker I posted this on the forum last night but left 'doing' anything about it so I could sleep, and JF has beat me to it lol In context, along with the rest of the interview it's clear what he means but it is such the 'wrong' thing to say after a performance like that, especially given how results have gone for him so far. Sometimes it is perception and not substance and it is a faux pas (however innocent) of the highest order.

I commented last night would he recover from this with the fans, we generally don't forgive managers who incur our ire, the jury is still out BUT what's clear is fans seem even more annoyed with the comment than the result.

Maybe now everyone including Randy will see what a great job MON did? Did we lose against the Blues? What was the last score at Liverpool? That comment has made me really really really reeeeeeeeaaaaalllly mad, can't always be Mr Niceguy GH!! Friends off the pitch who cares!! We cross that line and it's war for 90mins, that's how we do it at Villa mate

People talk about Houllier's words being put in context. Sadly, the context is that he's been talking about his love for Liverpool since he arrived. He feels he has been wronged because Benitez got the glory for Istanbul and he is on an agenda to cement what he sees as his true legacy at Liverpool. The man is using Villa. FFS Randy - sack him NOW !

To come out with the comments he did after an absolute shambolic display is disgusting & has left me a little angry...It is disrespectful to villa fans, especially those that were their last night & had to endure an awful performance...we were awful & he should be raging with a performance like that, I & others stick up for the guy & back him as he is one of us & its like he throws it in your face...He should whatever his personal feelings, keep them to himself & be talking all things Villa, cause last night was very concerning...I tell you now, he will of enraged others a lot more than myself & if we do not get a win on saturday, villa park will turn against him now after these comments, if they werent going to anyway!

Comments like this are a disgrace to our football club. We showed no fighting spirit last night and were outplayed by an average Liverpool team missing their 3 best players. It's just unacceptable I'm afraid and it does make you wonder whether he is just using us to fulfull his own personal agenda with Liverpool. All Villa fans were baffled by his appointment and this is how he tries to endeer himself? Au revoire back to France now!

It's the counter point to him doing a great job, which he didn't, because he repeated the same mistakes - what it boils down to is Monny was great for half a season and woeful for the second half. Nothing to do with how he left.

And I know I'm saying this more tongue in cheek, but maybe Houllier is having Monny's second half of the season first to get it out the way.

It also conveniently ignores the fact he'd long lost the team as evidenced in pre season and yet again, another end of last season when we fell away oh so expectedly, so this season would've been a nightmare anyway even if O'Neill had stayed. Granted we'd probably have picked up an extra draw or so by now, but the Monny party was over and it bugs me when people think it would've been much, if any, different.

I can't speak for JF, but I clearly am in the same way some of you are obviously on Monny's payroll still - but hey if you don't get debate and the extent of your vocab is to spout that and 'sack them' at every available opportunity, bully for you. Generalise away from specific comments, keeps you happy lol

mike, dedate is great but realism is better, next time im with PF on saturday ill drop him your address if you let me have it
GH has to go and you know it but cant back down from your hatred of MON. Shame on you, the club comes first not the individuals. GH has to be judged by some yardstick and as in most cases it is the previous managers record

First mistake though, I'm comparing and contrasting, and was responding to the 'great' comment, which clearly and impartially is Monny's first half of a season was good, the second half less than satisfactory. So tongue in cheek or not, suggesting Houllier has reversed our overall season form or whether due to the problems we had prior to the last manager leaving - if we judge from the mood in the camp and pre season performances - whether Monny staying would've seen much difference when you factor in injuries (many running from pre season and not down to the training as blamed) , has merit in the debate and has no basis in my thoughts on either manager.

Add to that, I don't believe I've actually expressed my opinion on whether Houllier should've been appointed, should stay appointed either due to results or his comments after the match last night (I'm actually that biased that Houllie is the Messiah and Monny was a naughty boy that I was the first to point his daft comment out on the forum).

As for the comments themselves, if you check out the full report as linked you can see the context, hence why I described it as daft. Admittedly I don't think it would've had less of an impact if he'd have added 'as opposed to losing to Blues because I don't like them' on the end, but all managers are on a slippery slope when perceived to disrespect the fans. As said last night, and repeated above, however an innocent comment he is damned, will he recover from it? Certainly not if we aren't convincing in the next few matches, but quite possibly not even if we are...as this sort of thing isn't forgiven or forgotten. It may not be a patch on the comments on DOL or MON when attacking fans and twisting things, but you only need look at the forums to see it's had a completely undesired effect as many of those prepared to give Houllie time to work with the team and make changes when possible in the transfer window have pulled their support.

If he's to go it has to be based on the results so far, although I still think he'll turn it round with time. He shouldn't however go for a daft comment. Either way, he wasn't in my top 20 even once his name was entered into the hat so if he stays I think he'll turn us round, do a lot of good long term BUT I don't see him breaking the ceiling like O'Neill couldn't. If he goes hopefully we'll get the long term appointment most of us seemed to want, and we can rebuild properly. I'm not going to cry either way. For me he hasn't had long enough to be judged properly, but I wouldn't miss him if he left.

Might still be on the fence for you, but it's how I feel - I also don't think with the anger around his comments and behaviour last night he'll recover from this with the fans, he's lost too many before he really got going.

Also been a decent chat on the forum about the PR aspect, club are damned if they do and damned if they don't. Seems they've gone for don't address it which I think is a mistake, and I'm not looking forward to Albion.

I went to Liverpool on Monday and felt humiliated at seeing such an inept performance; the fans ironic chanting only shows how far we have fallen....ok we have injuries and its great to see what the kids can do but they are being let down by some of the senior pro's. GH is old enough and experienced enough not to have made such comments after the game, I have seen AVFC loose too many times to the likes of Liverpool and I never ever like it.
I havent seen the apology but he has got some making up to do starting with WBA.
UP THE VILLA

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